1999 Fletcher Conference

Tuesday, November 2, 1999 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Keynote Address:

Beyond Joint Vision 2010

General Henry H. Shelton

---

Analysis

The security challenges of the 21st century will be at least as great as those faced by the United States in the 1990s. A clear, long-term perspective on the security environment and potential uses of military force is a pivotal element in U.S. military doctrine for the 21st century. Iraq and North Korea represent the most serious short-term threats to regional stability. In the long-term, U.S. foreign policy success will hinge on our relations with China, Japan, Russia, and Iran, the states whose future evolution will have the greatest impacts, respectively, on the security of East Asia, Europe, and Southwest Asia.

Emerging powers are only partalbeit the most important partof the post-Cold War security setting. Because of their humanitarian component, many such crises appeal to what Abraham Lincoln called "the better angels of our nature." Force is a tempting option in these cases because the U.S. Armed Forces are readily deployable. Yet the use of force to promote peace and stability often carries unintended consequences. U.S. policy makers must carefully weigh the decision to place U.S. prestige, leadership, and lives at risk in an attempt to resolve such conflicts. The decision to use force is sometimes appropriate, as in Kosovo. Operation Allied Force, however, was in many ways a unique case that should not be viewed as a universal model for humanitarian intervention. A relatively blunt instrument by itself, military force should always be used in concert with the other elements of national power to attain U.S. political objectives. Policy makers must craft political objectives supportive of the national interest and determine whether these goals are attainable by force or more appropriately by other means. These objectives should also be important enough to offer a reasonable prospect of sustained public support. The United States should refrain from threatening the use of force unless we are prepared to carry out such a threat. A failure to back public statements of intentions with actions would jeopardize U.S. credibility and encourage aggression by potential adversaries.

The unsettled security landscape of the early 21st century demands a transformation of the current military structure into a truly joint force. Harnessing the capabilities for two nearly simultaneous regional wars remains the focus of U.S. military strategy. While the existing force structure is sufficient to prevail under these circumstances, there must be an adequate surplus of forces to hedge against unexpected contingencies. In the future, victory will go to the force that best adapts itself to changing conditions. To uphold the present strategy, while the United States transforms its military forces, it will be necessary to deepen jointness, integrate new technologies, and maintain the current high quality of military personnel.

The newly revised Unified Command Plan (UCP) represents an important step towards this future joint force. The UCP designated the newly activated Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) as executive agent for "joint experimentation." Under the aegis of joint experimentation, JFCOM will supplement the efforts of the Services to develop operational concepts, doctrines, and technologies more appropriate to the new security environment. The new command thus will help to minimize redundancy and inter-Service rivalry while bolstering the cohesion of future joint operations. JFCOM's efforts will also improve the ability of the Armed Forces to counter the asymmetric strategies currently being developed by U.S. adversaries. Intended to stimulate innovation, this new approach to force development will enhance the ability of the U.S. Armed Forces to dominate the spectrum of conflict and realize the vision outlined in Joint Vision 2015.